Air cleaner retainer



2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 28 1951 Nov. 29, 1955 Filed Nov 28, 1951 R. H. SPAHR, JR 725,316

AIR CLEANER RETAINER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 3 mentor (Ittornegs United States Patent AIR CLEANER RETAINER Robert H. Spahr, Jr., Flint, Mich., assignor to G eneral Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Application November 28, 1951, Serial No. 258,580

3 Claims. (Cl. 183-49) The present invention relates to an air cleaner retainer structure.

in providing air for an internal combustion engine, an air cleaner unit is normally combined with a silencer unit so as to provide a cleaner-silencer assembly. Although the noise inherent in the operation of the engine carburetor is predominantly muffled in the silencer unit, it is common also to provide a silencing material associated with a cover for the air cleaner. It is with the structure utilized to retain said silencing material against said cover that the present invention is partly concerned.

It is a principal object of the present invention to provide a retainer structure which in addition to retaining silencing material within an air cleaner structure is also constructed so as to assist in maintaining an air tight joint between an air cleaner unit and air silencer unit.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide an air cleaner retainer structure which, in addition to the foregoing object, is further constructed to maintain an air cleaner filtering material at a fixed distance from the air cleaner cover.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an air cleaner retainer structure which comprises a circular plate member having a plurality of openings therein and a plurality of elements depending from said member.

It is also an object to provide an air cleaner retainer structure which includes a wheel shaped member having a hub, a plurality of spokes radiating from said hub, a rim connecting said spokes and an element depending from each of said spokes.

In order to more clearly understand the structure of the present invention, reference is made to the following specification wherein are described the preferred embodiments of my invention and which are illustrated in the following drawings:

In the drawings:

I Figure 1 is a partially sectioned elevational view of an air cleaner-silencer assembly embodying my invention.

Figure 2 is a view taken substantially along line 2-2 of Figure 1 showing a bottom view of my retainer structure.

Figure 3 is a partially sectioned elevational view showing a modified form of air cleaner retainer structure disclosing another embodiment of my invention.

Figure 4 is a view taken substantially along line 44 of Figure 3 showing a bottom view of the modified form of retainer structure.

One form of air cleaner and silencer assembly is shown in Figure 1. The assembly includes an annular air silencer unit having a recessed upper face 11. The lower portion of said recessed upper face is partially filled with oil to provide an oil sump 12 for a cleaner unit 20 which seats within the recessed face 11 of the silencer unit. Face 11 is actually a member structurally common to both the silencer unit 10 of which it forms the upper face and the cleaner unit 20 in which it is an upwardly opening casing or shell within which another portion of the cleaner is partially enclosed. The inner edge of face 11 terminates in a circular ledge 13 upon which is mounted a gasket 14. A second circular ledge 15 is formed in silencer face 11. The air cleaner unit 20, when placed within the recessed face of the silencer unit, is supported upon the ledges 13 and 15.

The air cleaner unit 20 includes an upwardly opening annular chamber 21 having an outer wall 22 and an inner wall 23. The outer wall 22 extends above the inner wall 23 and terminates in a flange 24. Inner wall 23 which also defines a cleaner air outlet passage 25 terminates at its upper end in an outwardly flared arcuate portion 26 which partially overlies the open end 27 of the annular chamber 21. The bottom edge of wall 23 is adapted to seat upon the gasketed flange 13.

A plurality of air inlet openings 28 are formed in the bottom face 29 of the annular chamber 21. Any wellknown filtering material 30, such as spun copper gauze, fills the annular chamber 21 and is enclosed by a mesh screen 31 laid across the open face 27 of said chamber.

Enclosing the cleaner unit 20 is a crowned circular cover 32 secured about its perimeter to flange 24 of cleaner wall 22. The cover has a centrally disposed depressed portion 33 formed therein. Cover portion 33 is perforated at 34 so as to receive a bolt 35 therethrough. When the cleaner 2%) is mounted on the silencer 10, bolt 35 which is secured at one end to the silencer unit projects through perforation 34 so that a wing nut 36 may be threaded thereon, thus securing cleaner and silencer together.

An annular air inlet chamber 37 is formed by the recessed upper face 11 of the silencer unit and the outer wall 22 of the cleaner unit. Air is thus drawn into the cleaner-silencer assembly through the inlet chamber 37 and flows downwardly through the oil sump 12 where-the air contacts and carries oil particles up through openings 28 into the filtering material 30, the air then free of oil and dirt again flows downwardly through the cleaner discharge passage 25 and thence to a carburetor inlet manifold not shown.

The noise created by the flow of air through the cleanersilencer-carburetor assembly is primarily absorbed within the silencer unit 10. However, a sound deadening material 38 is mounted on the inside of the cover 32 for the purpose of further absorbing noise vibrations created by the assembly in operation.

As may be seen in Figure l, the cover 32 has been formed so as to provide an annular recessed portion 39 within which the sound deadening material 38 is contained. A retainer 40 holds the sound deadening material 38 within the recessed portion 39.

Retainer 40, as shown in Figure 2, is a circular member having a plurality of openings'41 radially blanked therefrom and a central opening 42. The retainer has a circular flange or rim 43 adapted to be clamped between the peripheral edge of cover 32 and flange 24 of cleaner wall 22 so as to maintain said retainer in at least partial abutting relation with said cover. A most important structural development in this retainer consists in blanking out the openings 41 so as to provide a plurality of radially extending members 44 depending on each side of spoke or rib members 45 intermediate said openings 41.

One of each depending member 44 includes a pair of radially spaced legs 46 and 47. The outer legs 46 are adapted to seat against screen 31 and thereby to hold the filtering material 30 in place at a fixed distance from cover 32. Inner legs 47 are formed so as to longitudinally engage the inner wall 23 of the cleaner about its flared portion 26. As may be seen in Figure 1, the depressed portion 33 in cover 32 projects partly through and circumferentially engages the central opening 42 in retainer 40. As nut 36 is threaded on bolt 35, the central portion of cover 32 is depressed which through cover portion 33 moves the inner legs 47 of retainer 40 longitudinally downwardly against wall 23. The longitudinal pressure impressed on wall 23 through retainer legs 47 causes the lower end of said wall to firmly engage gasketed ledge 13 so as to form an air tight joint at that point. That this joint should be air tight is extremely important since, as will be seen in Figure 1, incoming air flows past the jointure of wall 23 and ledge 13 and if the air could escape at this point it would be shunted around the air cleaner permitting impure air to pass directly into the cleaner discharge passage 25.

In Figures 3 and 4, another modification of my invention is illustrated. In this instance, a slightly modified type of cleaner-silencer structure is shown but for the purposes of this invention the only significant structural changes reside in a retainer 60 mounted upon a cover 61. As in the previous embodiment of the invention, an annular air cleaner 50 includes an inner wall 51 which seats within a recessed annular silencer 52 on a gasketed flange 53.

The cover 61 includes an upwardly recessed portion 62 inwardly disposed from the cover periphery and which portion terminates in a downwardly recessed portion 63 having a central opening 64 therein. Recessed cover portion 62 is adapted to receive a sound deadening material 65 which is held against said cover by the retainer 60.

Retainer 60, as shown in Figure 4, is a circular member having a plurality of spaced openings 66 at a common radial distance from its center and a central opening 67. The outer portion of retainer 69 is formed upwardly to form a flange 63, which abuts the outer wall portion 69 of cover recessed portion 62. portion of retainer 60 is formed upwardly and inwardly so as to provide a flange 70 which is adapted to be secured to recess portion 69 of cover 61. By so securing retainer 60 to cover 61, a chamber is formed for enclosing the sound deadening material 65.

Again, the most important structural feature of the present embodiment of my invention resides in a retainer 60 which includes a plurality of members 71 depending therefrom. Said members are preferably formed when the openings 66 are blanked out of the retainer. The upper end of wall 51 has an outwardly projecting flange 72 formed thereon. Depending members 71 are shaped as tapered legs, each of which rests upon flange 72 when cover 61 is assembled to the air cleaner 50. Once again as a nut 73 is threaded down upon a bolt 74 anchored to silencer 52, the cover 61 is centrally depressed transmitting through retainer 60 a longitudinal force to wall 51 causing the latter to seat air tightly upon the gasketed flange 53.

In both retainer 40 and 60 the ribs or spokes 45 will be noted to extend substantially radial but to have one edge thereof disposed truly radial. Such disposition of one edge of each rib or spoke 45 enables the true radial disposition of the depending legs 47 or 71 and thus the more uniform distribution of pressure through the retainers in securing the cover to the silencer and the cleaner therebetween, and a consequent better sealing of the cleaner to the silencer member.

In both modifications of the present invention I have provided retainers which have been structurally improved to greatly facilitate the air tight integrity of an air cleaner and silencer assembly as well as performing their nor- The inner i 4 mal function of maintaining a sound deadening mate rial against the cleaner cover. One of said retainer modifications embodies an additional structural refinement which enables the retainer to also maintain the air cleaner filtering material in place at a fixed distance from the air cleaner cover.

While two embodiments of my invention have been shown and described, it is not intended to limit my invention solely thereto, inasmuch as other minor structural variations may be comprehended within the scope of my teachings.

I claim:

1. An air cleaner silencer assembly including annular cleaner and silencer members nested together and having their inner walls aligned and engaged to provide a central outlet passage therethrough, a crowned cover member disposed over said cleaner member and having sound absorbent material received within the crowned portion thereof, means disposed between said cover member and said cleaner member and bridging said crowned portion for retaining said sound absorbent material within said cover member and said cover member in fixed and spaced relation over said cleaner member, said means comprising a hub and an annular rim having substantially radially extended channeled ribs provided therebetween, said ribs retaining said sound absorbent material within said crowned portion of said cover member with minimum obstruction thereof and including depending legs engaging the inner wall of said cleaner member for spacing said cover member apart therefrom, and means securing said cover member to said silencer member and said cleaner member therebetween, said means being adapted to exert a downward force centrally of said cover, said depending legs urging said inner walls of said cleaner and silencer members in sealing engagement and said channeled ribs strengthening said depending legs and protecting said sound absorbent material upon the tightening down of said securing means.

2. A11 air cleaner silencer assembly as provided in claim 1 having one edge of each of said ribs extended radially and having said depending legs formed from said one edge for disposing said legs in true radial engagement with the inner wall of said cleaner member for balanced distribution of the forces sealing said cleaner and silencer members together.

3. An air cleaner silencer assembly as provided in claim 1 having air filtering material disposed within said cleaner member and a screen member disposed thereover, said channeled ribs each including a pair of radially spaced depending legs having the innermost leg as provided and the outermost leg engaging said screen member for retaining said filter material in spaced relation to said cover member, said legs in combination spacing both said cleaner member and said filter material apart from said cover for providing an unobstructed passageway for the passage of cleaned air from said filtering material.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,037,164 Harrah Apr. 14, 1936 2,243,866 Kamrath June 3, 1941 2,266,299 Baillio Dec. 16, 1941 2,290,092 Brown July 14, 1942 2,557,237 Sebok June 19, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS 659,345 Great Britain Oct. 24, 1951 

